


Five Times Veronica Met Betty's Boyfriend (And One Time She Didn't)

by dmux86



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, F/M, Idiots in Love, Not Beta Read, Shapeshifting, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:42:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23399398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dmux86/pseuds/dmux86
Summary: Hope someone out there likes these random ideas I've had, only really linked by the idea that Betty and Jug are together before one or both of them meets Veronica... more or less...
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 40
Kudos: 112





	1. NYC / Coffee Shop AU

Jughead groans as Betty sits on his lap, laughing after winning again and teasing "Thought you were good at that game" with the wide smile he's loved longer than he cares to admit, his body responding to the blonde on his lap too quickly for him to think of a witty retort. He manages to smirk instead and reach up to pull her ponytail loose and then softly say "Maybe I let my girlfriend win... " so softly he's not sure she's heard him for a moment.

"Better not have" she replies, just a hint of warning in her tone before she's kissing him like she has every time they've been alone since that day nearly a month ago at the coffee shop he visits on his way to class at NYU from the tiny studio apartment he shares with Archie.

Other than the fact they've kept this all a secret, for reasons he can't ever seem to remember when she's on his lap, he can't imagine a better way for his first semester of college to have gone, reuniting with his long lost blonde best friend... turned girlfriend... whose family had left town the summer before sophomore year of high school

Just as his hands slip under her top, fingertips trailing over her warm skin, there's a noise at the door and it flies open before a pair of expensive heels click against the floor as a petite brunette stumbles in, slightly tipsy in the arms of a shockingly familiar tall redhead.

The door is kicked closed behind Archie before everyone realizes what is happening.

"B?" "V?" "Jug?" "Arch?" "Who the hell is that?" and "Wait... is that Betty Cooper?" all get blurted out over top of each other with varying degrees of surprise and confusion

"Wait... wait... Jug? As in your roommate Jughead, the reason we couldn't go back to your place because he never leaves?", the short but surprisingly imposing girl in four inch heels and pearls asks, eyebrows climbing as she looks from Jughead up to Archie who's still trying to process his two oldest friends making out on a couch, leaving his companion to turn back to Betty and ask "And what happened to that whole 'don't need to date, focusing on my studies, time for that later' speech you give me every Thursday night B?"

Betty blushes to match her Alice Cooper approved blouse and stands up, waving to to Archie awkwardly as her boyfriend slowly stands as well, watching closely with his heart in this throat, memories of a middle school ~~love~~ _unrequited crush_ triangle bubbling up despite everything good that has happened with Betty lately.

'Though hopefully the smudged lipstick from her roommate all over Archie's obviously confused face will help' Jughead thinks with a slight smirk as he gets a better look at him and decides there's nothing to lose with the truth now. "Yeah, Arch this is Betty... our old friend... and my girlfriend", swallowing nervously as he wraps his arm around her waist and feels her lean into him and nervously chime in "Good to see you again Archie, been awhile"

"Okay, full story out of you... all three of you I guess... later, but you said your roommate never leaves" the dark haired girl turns to look up Archie, who finally remembers to speak and agrees "Yeah, he never goes anywhere but class, and that little coffee shop on 9th Street... " which makes his companion give a wicked grin as she turn to Jughead and clarifies "The one with green to-go cups and a cute blonde barista who does a shift before her classes every morning?" 

Nodding and blushing he confesses "Yeah, that's the one... " finally stepping forward to offer his hand "I'm Jughead Jones, the Third, by the way"

"Veronica Lodge, lovely to meet you, we will all have to do brunch tomorrow" she replies with a quick shake before dragging Archie right back out the door with a quick "Keep your boy toy here till then B" over her shoulder.

Betty is still surprised and blushing more than before as she asks "So um... want to stay the night Juggie?", not quite looking at the floor but not meeting his gaze as the door swings closed again, leaving the couple alone with nowhere to be for at least ten hours. 


	2. Soul Mark AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Three Stages of Marking:
> 
> 1) A grey smudge that develops within a year of birth
> 
> 2) A vague outline that slowly forms after repeated contact, especially after puberty
> 
> 3) A clear outline and first hints of color after physical contact, especially kissing
> 
> 4) A full color design after a shared orgasm
> 
> There is a very solid correlation between size of marks and the age at which a first meeting occurs, from the near full body marks for the rare cases of meeting as infants or toddlers to the small coin-sized marks for those who don't meet until well into adult years. The claims that more details and colorful designs correlate to a stronger bond are less clearly understood but there is some evidence for this as well. 
> 
> \- Intro To Human Sexuality, Greendale Press, 2010

Veronica made her way into the neon lit diner on Friday night and smiled politely at the staff while confirming her order then began glancing around to see who else was here, quickly noticing a handsome redhead who seemed to be staring a bit, with a blonde ponytail across from him that slowly turned and revealed a pair of big green eyes who looked her over.

Stepping closer to stand at the end of their table she asked "Hey, how are the onion rings here?", noticing the blonde tugging slightly on her cardigan to keep her wrists covered, possibly hiding a soul mark. 

"They are so good" the ginger said with a charming smile, his own arms nearly fully visible thanks to his short sleeved t-shirt. They talked briefly, exchanging names and confirming they would all be at the same school next week, but before she left Archie invited her to join them the following day. "One last bit of fun before classes start on Monday, we're all going down to the Sweetwater dam and lake... you can meet everyone there before classes start"

Glancing at Betty who nodded in agreement, adding "It will be fun, I can pick you up on my way if you'd like", Veronica agreed and made her way back home to eat and shower after a long day, doing her best not to look at the grey smudge on her thigh and hip that would make up her soul mark, not wanting to obsess over any small changes just yet. The experts who had looked it over a few years ago agreed it was sized for a meeting somewhere between 16 and 18 years old, and given she moved to a new town a few weeks after turning 16 it was a safe bet her match would be here in Riverdale.

The next morning Veronica made her way outside in a sundress over a bathing suit, her mark covered for now but it would be exposed if she decided to take the dress off. Her new blonde friend arrived, wearing jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt despite the already fairly warm weather, and smirked slightly at the expression on Veronica's face, explaining "My parents don't like seeing my mark, so I have to cover up all the time... at least when they are around or would see me"

Linking their arms Veronica and Betty made their way to the river and reservoir by cutting through Pickens Park, chatting about their upcoming year of high school and who all would be at the lake today. "Kevin just go back yesterday from visiting his mother in California, you'll love him" she said even as the dark haired young man in question smiled and pulled Betty into a hug, teasingly asking "Not showing off today? Is he even coming out today?"

"Is who coming out, wait, do you already know who your match is Betty? Been holding out on me?" Veronica asked eagerly, earning a slight blush and shrug, but Veronica quickly added "Come on B, who's the lucky guy? And does this mean Archie is free?"

"Archie seems to be free every other weekend" Kevin joked, adding "He's not exactly a 'wait to be marked before kissing' sort of guy", his eyebrows wagging as if this was some sort of scandal, though it was likely in a small town like this that more people either waited or found their matches young enough to not need to wait.

Kevin led her down closer to the water from where Betty was laying out blankets, and waved over a few others, introducing "My boyfriend Fangs, and this is Sweet Pea and Toni... ", trailing off as he looked past Veronica, stunned for a moment before asking loudly "ELIZABETH COOPER... since when have you been so colorful?!?"

This got everyone's attention and Veronica turned to see her new bestie in a modest one piece bathing suit... that did nothing to hide the near full body marking she had. Clearly everyone else was used to the sheer size of it, the fang-bearing head of a snake on her right forearm and the body wrapping around her body, coiling over itself on each of her thighs and then finally ending with a tail just before her left wrist. And it was truly colorful as well, a rich green with soft blue and gold diamondback pattern... even faint pink lines between the different colors and blood red eyes as she got closer.

"What happened to you and Jones spending all summer working at the library?" the pink haired girl named Toni asked, smirking and clearly teasing the taller blonde.

"We did work there" Betty exclaimed, blushing and shrugging even as an old jalopy pulled up behind her and she added "We may have just... exaggerated the hours... "

Archie and a tall lean boy in a beanie and flannel walked down from their car, arms full of food that gets set down on the blanket before the dark haired stranger wrapped his arms around Betty's waist, kissing her shoulder and murmuring just loud enough for the others to hear "So couldn't wait for me to get here to show off, huh Betts?"

Noticing Veronica for this first time his smile went from sappy to teasing as he asked "This the new girl Archie wouldn't shut up about?" with a glance at the redhead, earning a laugh from everyone but Archie himself who groaned "Jug, I literally introduced you to your soulmate before kindergarten, can't you follow the bro code even a little bit?" 

"Yes the new girl is gorgeous and charming and will have Gingerlake hear wrapped around her finger by the end of the weekend... but I want to hear more about hashtag Bughead's summer" Kevin interjected.

"I'm not sharing any details, that stuff is... private... the point is we're together and happy and we want to go swimming" Betty replied as her boyfriend stripped down to his swim trunks, showing the same snake, and Betty finally said "Jughead, this is Veronica, she's joining us all this year" 

"Veronica Lodge?" he asked even as they shook hands, a curious look in his eyes but Betty shook her head "We are not interviewing my new friend for the paper before the school year even starts. Now lets get in the water before you start eating all the food", leaning into his side and kissing him shoulder on their mark, making Veronica feel an odd sort of envy at their closeness... even as her leg itched as Archie ran his hand along her arm and asked softly "You joining us Ronnie?". 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not super thrilled with how this ended up, but wanted to get back to these lighter stories... especially after being inspired by Palm Springs this weekend... so going ahead and posting it as-is.


	3. Modern Magic AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've seen dozens of "Serpents as Werewolves" fics in my time in the Bughead/Riverdale fandom... but not sure I've ever seen one where they are actually... you know... SERPENTS
> 
> So here's my take on that, along with some wolves and witches and all that good stuff.
> 
> Feel free to comment on here or say hello on Tumbler (dmux86, same as on here)

In the city, nobody could keep track of all the various packs and mage-clans and ever shifting alliances... and for a teenage girl the appearance of ignorance could even be an asset... but now that Veronica had moved back to her parents small hometown she had no excuse not to keep track of how things worked as she was driven to her new high school.

She stepped out of the black sedan, looking over the unified high school, wards to dampen the magic built into it's walls. Not enough to prevent the use of magic... or shifting... but to lessen it and remind any hot-headed teenagers about the consequences of misbehavior. Veronica could feel the effect on her, like a room with the heat turned up just a bit too high, even from out side.

Glancing around the parking lot she saw the bikes all on the same side, their riders dismounting wearing the black leather and dark jean jackets marking them as Serpents. She was surprised when her mother told her that one of the two tribes of shape shifters in a dreary town in upstate New York were cold blooded, living in the rocky hills on the south side of the Sweetwater River where the caves led to hot springs that could keep them warm through the winter... though the inability to grow crops and lethargy in the winters led to a cycle of poverty that apparently continued to this day.

To the west of the town where the farms, ranches, and large luxury houses were found lived the wealthier clan of shifters, classic werewolves with a few other canines mixed in, while the eastern side of town was mostly baseline humans, with a few mages mixed in, including the newly returned Hermione Lodge and her daughter. But the true power in the sleepy little town of Riverdale was in the north, where a single family claimed hundreds of acres of woods, millions in cold hard cash, and a lineage of powerful magic.

But all the factions and families ended up here, at a single high school... according to her mother it both allowed for some interesting alliances but would also be the source of grudges that would shape town politics for a generation. And honestly Veronica was looking forward to it.

Stepping into the front door she founder her way to the main office, her so-dark-it-looks-black blue dress and pearls getting a few odds looks. In the office, the secretary hands her a schedule and map and says "Your peer mentor will be here any mome... ah there she is, good morning Ms Cooper"

"Good morning" the smiling blonde replies, before turning her big green eyes onto Veronica and offering her hand "I'm Betty Cooper, I believe you met my neighbor Archie at Pop's last night"

"Veronica Lodge, it's a pleasure" the brunette replies, and trembles slightly as their hands meet... she'd sensed some magic in the taller teen but the touch confirms it.

They stepped out into the hall and began walking, talking about their classes... they shared almost all of them... and Veronica quickly decided she would try and befriend this Betty Cooper, and tells her as much as they reach Veronica's locker, but Betty shrugs slightly and explains "I'm... well let's just say if you become my friend you are choosing a side in the whole 'shifter rivalry' thing... "

This strikes Veronica as odd, the other girl is clearly a mage not a shifter, but before she can ask a couple of boys strut up to them... a pair of would-be Alphas, vying for power by displays of bravado. The Lodge heiress is familiar with the type and rolls her eyes as the tall one looks her over and smirks "Well now, who is this and why is she wasting her time with mini-Cooper?", earning a laugh from his friend with darker skin.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Chuck Clayton, captain of the Bulldogs... this young man is Reggie, he's my... understudy", getting an elbow to his ribs as the other interjects "His father is the coach... but I've got the nicer ride which clearly is more important anyway"

"Ehh... both our rides are nice than any of the boys the Serpent Slut could set her up with" Chuck adds, making Betty scowl and clench her fists but Veronica murmurs "I've got this B" and steps forward, hands open at her side and smiling as innocently as a 16 year old socialite mage can.

"Listen boys, how about you both... chill... " she tells them, even as she coats the front of both of their jeans with a layer of frost, sending them both away with snarls befitting a pair of poorly trained dogs as she turns back to Betty to let her know playfully "By the way... my specialty is ice" with a wink.

Before they can head off to class together a solidly built young man in a cut-off jean jacket, who had clearly been watching their confrontation, asks Betty "Everything alright Princess?", getting a quick nod and a hand on his powerful arms as she assures him "Of course Fangs, I will see you at lunch... and we'll save a seat for V here"

"Are you sure those two turn into wolves? They were acting more like peacocks... " Veronica states as she notes the green emblem on his back when he walks away, curious about the combination of affectionate nickname and casual concern from the shifter, but unable to ask any questions as the two of them enter their statistics classroom and have to focus, not being able to sit together again in this class nor in history, after which they make their way to the cafeteria in the center courtyard of the school grounds.

As they walked in Betty quickly explained "We enter through the kitchens up here on the left, the food is surprisingly good other than the pizza for some reason, then the actual dining hall is basically a T-shape, with the Bulldogs and their fans on the left, Serpents and other southsiders on the right, and the Blossoms and other supposedly neutral parties at the top. You're welcome to go meet them or sit with me, whichever you prefer V"

Veronica assured her they would stay together, and after getting a salad and bottled water she followed her new bestie to a table right in the middle of the Serpent's section... but not before noticing a pair of redheads holding court at the far end of the dining hall. Even from here, and without the warning from her mother, she could feel their fire that matched their hair. Sitting to the left of the boy, Jason, was a blonde who waved at Betty.

"That's my older sister Polly, Jason's girlfriend" she explains quietly as they reach their table. It's the only one facing east-to-west instead of north-to-south, and Betty sit at the end with her back to the windows and directed Veronica to sit to her left, beside Fangs from before and dark skinned girl with pink hair named who seemed rather focused on the Blossom twins. Across from them a taller version of Fangs, but with a visible tattoo on his neck and a proper leather jacket, sat down across from Toni and leaving a seat open across from the new girl, as well as the second chair at the end of the table. A few others, all wearing serpent jackets, filled out the rest of the table and looked over at Betty as if asking permission to start eating.

"Guys this is Veronica, she'll be sitting with us for now at least" Betty explained, and the others went around introducing themselves and asking questions about how she liked Riverdale, circling around till the tall boy smiled at her "I'm Sweet Pea... and I have to ask, you a fan of one hit wonders?"

Amused by the odd question, and the groans and eye rolls from the rest of the table including Betty, she said "Not particularly, why? You planning on becoming one?"

"Nah... just wanted to know if you liked Sir Mix-A-Lot..." he responded, adding "He basically wrote my theme song" with a wink.

In spite of herself she laughs while looking at the other two girls, asking "Is he being serious right now?" and getting an exasperated "Apparently" from Betty as Toni explains with a smirk "He really does turn into an anaconda... but I can't vouch for the secondary meaning he's implying. Personally I think he's a bit too concerned with that for someone who can literally change the size and shape of his tongue at will. Doesn't now how to use his gifts properly... ain't that right Princess?", glancing at the blonde.

Betty cheeks flame to something slightly darker than the color of Toni's hair as she firmly states "That's quite enough of that" but then explains about the shifters around them "Each of the serpents here is actually a different species... Toni is a coachwhip, Fangs is a gaboon viper... " but stops as she glances up at the last two to join their table.

Veronica follows her eyes and see Archie, who had been working on his music alone at Pop's last night, joined by a lean but fairly tall boy wearing faded black jeans, leather with a double headed snake on the back, and a grey beanie over his dark hair despite it still being September. One look makes it obvious who this is... a young Alpha, and unlike the two she met earlier he is uncontested, the other Serpents all but bowing as he walks past them before sitting beside Betty, his left hand rubbing her shoulders and lightly grasping her ponytail as she leans in and kisses his cheek quickly and chastely but with something more than simple schoolyard affection behind it.

Suddenly she realizes that 'Princess' isn't really a nickname. It's a title. Her mother had mentioned the Serpents call their leaders Kings, not Alphas, due to some tradition from the transition from a Native American group to a more ethnically mixed clan... and the crown shaped beanie seems to be some sort of nod to that. A mage and a shifter alpha, clearly in love at 16... a true power couple.

"Veronica is new here, wanted to join us for lunch" she explains, getting a nod as his blue eyes look her over while Betty adds "This is my boyfriend Jughead... it's a nickname of course... and as you probably already could tell, our Prince"

"Well he's your Prince Charming at least" Archie teases, earning a laugh from the happy couple, and the group settles into their lunch chatting happily and including Veronica even as she comes to understand just how long they have all know each other... since the cradle for Archie and Jughead, which explains why the 'least magically significant' boy in Riverdale (in his own words) gets to sit at the right hand of a teenage Alpha.

The rest of the week continues in much the same fashion, Veronica eventually meeting the Blossoms properly and inviting Betty over for a sleepover where the blonde confirms Toni's implication about snake-shifter tongues, demonstrates her botanical gifts by fixing up the house and patio plants to perfection (though Betty shudders slightly at that word), and shares her thoughts on whether Sweet Pea is actually interested or just harmlessly flirting while trying to annoy Archie, who is very obviously interested but is a bit flaky according to his best friend of over a decade... though Veronica is still not sure if that's a pro or a con at this point.

By Friday night's football game, she's happily cheering from the stands for Archie beside Betty and somewhat less enthusiastic Jughead who is clearly more interested in the foot long hot dog than if Riverdale is going to convert their next third down. But their idyllic high school evening is interrupted by the growl of motorcycles and texts and the night turns into one of chaos seemingly in an instant, everyone shouting about something called a Ghoulie and a lot of finger pointing about drug sales.

Eventually Kevin, the Sheriff's son who used to sit with the Serpents before a messy breakup, explains about Malachi, a warlock-slash-drug dealer from Greendale who has been on the run for months after it was proven his laced drugs not only killed people but initiated the first steps in a necromantic ritual. And apparently he now has an army of risen corpses and is aiming to trash Riverdale, starting with the high school football game, counting on the rivalries and lack of trust 

It takes some doing but eventually all three factions agree to work together... despite the fact that Jugead, Cheryl (who is clearly in charge instead of Jason), Reggie, and Chuck all seem to be perfectly fine with the other three falling in battle. 

"The one thing every revenant has in common is a weakness to fire" the redheaded witch states, her pale fingers curling into a ball to summon the fires in question, "And I'm sure our wolves can tear a few of them apart... but what of Malachi himself?" 

"One good dose of venom and he goes down" Jughead states confidently, his serpents nodding in agreement before he turns to them and says "You all will guard the mages, let them do their work... and Betty will make it so I can sneak up on him" 

Veronica loves her new bestie already but finds this to be a rather bold claim, as the most impressive thing she's seen B do is restore a Sting of Pearls Succulent at the Pembrooke, and a joke about how her boyfriend would never buy her flowers since she can make better roses than anything that could be bought in a store.

But the blonde simply nods and pulls her boyfriend in for a deep kiss even as the shifters start transforming, and Jughead transfers his beanie and his leather jacket onto her while looking at the small pink snake, enormous green constrictor, and tanned viper circling around her... clearly a silent command to protect his princess at all costs... before Betty plunges her fingers into the soft dirt around her, her always green eyes lighting up while Jughead keeps his hands on her shoulders.

Within minutes there are rose bushes growing out from the ground around them, three or four feet tall and topped with pretty pink flowers that match B's conservative cardigan... and thorns as big as Veronica's own thumb and sharper than any claw or fang present. She's so entranced by the display of power that she doesn't notice Jughead's clothes falling to the ground behind Betty until a dark shadow moves around her, and Veronica suddenly realizes she never asked what species of snake he becomes.

The answer becomes clear as the 16 foot long serpent slithers out and then rears up, hissing and baring his teeth as a wide hood opens up, causing his new friend to mutter "Serpent King is right... " before the king cobra moves silently into the thorny mess provided by his girlfriend. 


	4. Black Ops Spies AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five years ago, I was forced to become an assassin for a secret unit of the Government: a black ops program called Thornhill, that has now gone rogue. They destroyed my identity and they destroyed my family. 
> 
> I escaped, and now the people I trained with and under are hunting me. What they don't know is that I have partners on the inside, including a new recruit from a fallen crime family. Together we're going to take Thornill apart, one mission at a time. 
> 
> And the last word they'll breathe before the end will be my name: Betty

Veronica had been undercover with Thornhill for almost a year, nearly three years since they had killed Hiram and Hermione Lodge and she had been saved from a trafficking ring by a woman maybe three years older than her, named Betty, who explained what was going on. After some basic training Ronnie had been arrested under an assumed identity, brought it as one of the hopeless cases the secret black-ops group was built around and trained up as an agent... infiltration, assassination, and all sorts of other things the government wasn't supposed to do but needed disposable assets to do anyway.

But now Clifford and Penelope knew they had a mole... actually at least two... but Ronnie had no clue what who the other was, though the dark haired young lady suspected there was something more than a partnership between her blonde mentor and whomever else was undercover. So to get them out, Betty has planned to interfere on Veronica's next mission and then they would run, find a safe house and regroup for the next phase of taking them down by destroying the data caches that were used to blackmail the government.

As soon as the gunfire started Ronnie ran, as fast as she could, only pausing under a bridge to drop and crush her phone under one heel, glancing around for any sign of a strike team or even just a tail as she wandered almost randomly around the city.

Only after midnight was she confident that nobody was following her and made her way back to the safe house, praying that Betty had gotten away from the chaos at the factory too and wasn’t currently in a dark hole being tortured by Penelope or Clifford. Making her way up the stairs to the penthouse apartment, arriving at the front door she put her code into the alarm system that opened the second door, and gave a sigh of relief at the blonde ponytail, green eyes, and 9mm pistol waiting as the steel door slid open.

“Ronnie… “ the taller and older woman gasped, lurching forward to pull the brunette into a hug, kissing her temple and then pulling back to check for any injuries.

“I’m good, just took my time making sure I wasn’t followed, the way you and Daddy and Thornhill all taught me” Ronnie replied as the two young women made their way to the kitchen of their safe house apartment where her mentor explained what had happened, ending by saying “Malachi is dead but it exposed us, both of my other agents are out of the Manor and making their way here”

Finishing off the water she had been craving for hours, the heiress turned agent smirked and teased “So do I finally get to meet the reason you don’t do honeypot missions?”

Betty's green eyes widened at the insinuation and then she smiled and shrugged her shoulders but the answer was obvious even as someone texted her phone.

"There's our first guest" the blonde said, unlocking the door to the safe house and welcoming in one of the trainers from Thornhill. The one everyone called Boy Scout, and Ronnie felt herself smile at knowing the athletic and charming man she had developed a bit of a crush on was a good guy... but then it dropped to a slight frown as she realized that meant he was with Betty.

The two smile and greeted each other with a hug and murmurs about safety and missing each other, and Veronica forced herself to look away, trying to focus on being glad that Archie wasn't an enemy she might have to fight or kill somewhere down the line.

"Ronnie, good to see you made it out safe" he finally said, smiling at her as he made his way into the kitchen, grabbing a protein bar and a water of his own and coming to sit beside Veronica on his couch. But before he could the door swung open again and the Nerd from the control room stumbled in, clearly the other mole and in a desperate hurry.

"Shit, guys, we gotta run, they know where you are, not sure how but they have this address. Sending a full tactical squad and... " the lean dark haired man trailed off, reaching out and pulling Betty into an embrace that was far more tender than what she and Archie had shared, "They're sending the Cleaner too" 

Ronnie had heard of the Cleaner, an older man, scarred and deadly and send to 'clean up any loose ends' by Penelope or Clifford. He as a threat, especially with a full squad, but the smallest and youngest member of their team pointed out "We have plenty of firepower, why not make a stand, take them out and then leave?" 

But that suggestion caused Betty to collapse further into Jughead's arms and Archie shook his head, declaring "We're leaving in seven minutes, grab what we need", taking her by the arm and leading her to gather their weapons cache while whispering "Before your family was killed, did you ever hear of a serial killer called the Black Hood?"

She nodded, sticking a pair of knives in her heeled boots and a gun in the waistband of her designer jeans, replying softly "Yeah, some guy in the upstate, killed like ten people in a small town, burned his family home down with himself and his daughter inside", but the moment she said it she realized the Cleaner had burn scars, blonde hair, and green eyes and looked up at Archie.

"Yeah... the fire was set by his daughter, Elizabeth, trying to kill him and run but Thornhill grabbed them both. Apparently he's Clifford's cousin or something. Betty isn't ready to face him again" the redhead explained patiently over the sound of Betty packing clothes and Jughead grabbing as much food and water as he could.

Before she could ask anything else an alarm went off, Betty seemingly more collected now said "That means we're being jammed, no cell signal, time to go" 

The four of them rushed down to the parking garage piling their stuff into a black SUV and peeling out, Jughead behind the wheel and Betty sitting beside him, telling him "Beach house should be safe, let's head that way Juggie".

Only then did Veronica remember what she was thinking about earlier and asked with a smile, even as she looked around for any vehicles tailing them in the darkness, "So you're dating the hacker, not the bad-ass field agent?", and getting a laugh from Betty and Archie and a glare in the rear view mirror from Jughead.

"Actually Betty and I did date... pretty regularly... while on mission" Archie pointed out with a smirk, and their driver grumbled in reply "And I'm still not sure if I'm glad or pissed that there was no mute button the comms for that. For the record, no fake dating missions now that we are all rogue. You can do those with Ronnie" 


	5. Firefly AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Out here, people struggled to get by with the most basic technologies; a ship would bring you work, a gun would help you keep it. A captain's goal was simple: find a crew, find a job, keep flying...

“Are you sure that thing is safe?” Veronica asked, looking over the ancient ship that had visible rust spots and then over to her new husband.

Archie smiled, pulling her closer with one stronger arm and assured her “Of course Ronnie… my dad always said these old transports would last forever with a half decent mechanic on board, if it’s made it this long it’ll be fine”

The dark haired woman nodded, and could at least admit this would be the absolute last place anyone would look for Hiram Lodge’s runaway heiress. Stepping forward, her ginger companion walking behind with their bags (she was quite proud of only taking two bags) she looked for someone to talk to about booking passage.

Seeing a gorgeous young woman in a brown trench coat nearly the same shade as her skin that sat over a midriff baring pink top that matched the highlights in her hair, Veronica walked up confidently and asked “Do you know if this ship is taking passengers?”

The woman, perhaps a few years older than Veronica and even shorter, smirked a bit and replied “Yeah, there’s room for a couple more people… depending on where they are headed and if they can pay” 

“We have plenty of credits” Archie assured her, his face as innocent and eager as ever, and added “And not sure where we are headed… just not here, not Riverdale…” 

This got a small laugh and the pink-haired woman replied “Well then the Whyte Wyrm is the ship to be on… I’m her captain, Toni Topaz”, gesturing for them to follow her up the ramp. 

Archie follows along, easily carrying the three items as Veronica looked around at the cargo hold, multiple staircases leading up into the ship itself. Their captain leads them to the main stairs where two men around their age are laughing and clearly in love.

"Fangs, Keller, stop being sappy and help our passengers up to the guest bunk" Toni says, her tone right on the line between affectionate and annoyed as she turns back to the happy couple to make the introductions "My first mate Fangs, we grew up together, and our pilot Kevin Keller... who at some point convinced Fangs to marry him. I seem to recall a massive amount of alcohol involved for all parties"

"That does tend to happen at weddings" Veronica agreed, smirking at the look her Archiekins gave, wrapping her small hand around his not-so-small arm and assuring him "But that doesn't mean the love isn't real" 

"I like this one" the pilot said as the two married couples made their way up the stairs. At the top they nearly ran into a beautiful redhead who looked over Veronica's outfit (far too fancy for this ship even if it was the plainest thing in her closet) with an approving eye but didn't stop to speak as she made her way to the captain and called out "When are we leaving? I have appointments... ", the foursome making their way into the heart of the ships as Fangs explained "That's Cheryl, a companion, gets us in all sorts places we normally wouldn't but... she's a handful"

"And in love with the good captain" Keller whispered dramatically, "But you didn't hear that bit from us", the man who is clearly the biggest gossip in the ship continues. As the find the bunk left open for paying guests Veronica shares some basic... and non-incriminating... details about her and Archie, letting him drop the bags down and then go down the ladder first, following herself a moment later. 

"Get settled and come to the mess once we are out of atmo... Pop should have some grub ready then" Fangs explains before shutting the door to give them some privacy.

The cabin isn't exactly spacious, but it seems reasonably clean... one bed (thankfully she won't mind cuddling on given how narrow it is) under the viewport, a couch to the left of the entry later and an odd sort of desk-dress-table thing on the right side. Archie stows their bags under the bed for now and reaches out, taking Veronica's smaller hands in his to pull her into his lap, kissing her tenderly before promising "We'll find someplace safe out on the frontier, settle down, I can do construction... we will make this work babe, I promise" 

She nods in agreement, her fingers in his soft red hair, and they talk about their plans for half an hour before the ship takes off... a bit rough in the wind but smooth and surprisingly fast once the view outside shifts from dark blue to a black star field. 

They make their way back up into the common area, smelling something far too good for such an old and run down ship to have cooking in the kitchen. Fangs sees their reaction and laughs, nodding at the dark skinned and grey haired man in the mess, a smaller girl with braided pigtails helping him.

"That's Pop Tate... claims to be a Father of the Faith but he's the best cook any of us have ever seen. Turns protein packs into real burgers, so might actually be performing miracles in there" the first mate says as the girl comes out to help set the table. "And this sweetheart is Jellybean, her big brother is our medic. We'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone they were with us though" 

Veronica nods, replying "Same for us" before asking the teenager "May I help you?" and working together to get the table set for the nearly a dozen people eating tonight. More people start wandering in, the Captain talking about their course with the pilot and eventually from the back of the ship comes an absolutely gorgeous blonde, wearing faded pink overalls with both fresh and deeply stained grease and scorch marks all over them, and a long sleeved shirt under it. The dull clothes do nothing to hide her beauty, and not for the first time the heiress wonders if the lover of her life would prefer someone from a more similar background as his blue collar roots. 

Glancing at Archie for a moment, the raven-haired newlywed is relieved to see his eyes don't linger on the other girl, instead focusing on the massive brute who made his way from the crew quarters, apparently named Sweet Pea as Toni introduces him and reminds him not to shoot the paying guests in a way that isn't nearly close enough to joking for Veronica's taste.

"And this is Betty, our mechanic, be extra nice to her or we might not make it wherever it is Keller is taking us" Toni says, grinning at the green eyed woman who smiles and gets a towel to wipe off her hands again before shaking hands with Veronica and Archie while telling them happily "Toni is just teasing, the Wyrm is in great shape... at the moment... and if you're paying passengers then we might be able to buy an actual replacement cooling pipe instead of welding and taping over the old one" 

Kevin speaks up, cutting off what appeared to be the start of a long rambling run down of the ships systems "Betty, sweetie, let's not discuss the ship falling apart with our guests. Save that for your pillow talk with a certain doctor"

"Pillow talk?" Sweet Pea asks with a smirk as the food is brought to the table... a solid two dozen burgers, sauces on the side along with some white goo that might have been potatoes at some point in the past. As if summoned by the food one last member of the crew hurried in, his dark hair under a beanie as he walked up behind Betty and wrapped her in his arms as the girl blushed at the teasing from the crew but focused on their guests.

"Juggie, this is Veronica and Archie, they're flying with us for a bit. This is my, umm, boyfriend" the mechanic said, smiling and leaning into his tall lean build as her boyfriend nodded politely before kissing her temple and sitting them both down.

"Nice to meet you" he said softly, clearly not totally pleased with there being new people but focusing on the meal as Pop Tate sat down and led a prayer that surprisingly had the entire crew silent and respectful for a moment, before chaos erupted as they dug into the food, Jughead alone grabbing three burgers and admitting "Don't think I've ever prayed before eating your food Pop... a true miracle the defies science and logic" 

The crew laughs and starts sharing stories about terrible food that normally gets served on cheap freighters and the... questionable... neighborhoods most of them grew up, but before they can fully enjoy the meal an alarm sounds, Kevin and Fangs scrambling to the cockpit right away.

"Proximity alert, someone's heading right for us given how far out we are" Toni states, ordering her crew around but even as she tells Jellybean and the Andrews' to go to their bunks Fangs hurries down the stairs "Hey Toni, it's... well it's the Southern Pride, asking us to dock"

For some reason this makes Jughead freeze and say almost coldly "You assured me, Captain, that you were an independent contractor"

"Yeah, I know... and I am. But I've got to take jobs where they come and sometimes the Serpents have good work. We aren't due paying members or anything... their cut is too high for that... but I'm not going to tell the gorram Serpent King to suck our exhaust, unless you'd rather we entertain ruttin Ghoulies instead?"

He shakes his head, glancing away and thinking a moment before admitting "Just, surprised is all. And I don't want Jellybean around while meeting with them" 

"Fine by me Jones" the pink haired woman says, rolling her eyes a bit before revising her orders, Veronica wondering if these Serpents are the same 'snakes' she used to hear Hiram complaining about on nights she couldn't sleep.

Less than half an hour later everyone, save Jellybean and Cheryl who is surprisingly sweet with the younger girl, is arrayed on the stairs and cargo hold floor as the airlock they are attached to cycles and five people walk onto the ship... three are clearly just hired guns, brandishing their weapons and scanning for threats.

Behind them is a short woman with ratty blonde hair and an eye-patch, and a tall dark haired man who seems oddly familiar in a long black trenchcoat, who jovially calls out "Topaz, seems your crew gets bigger every time we meet... still waiting for you and yours to get some tattoos and join the family"

"And we're waiting for you to drop the commission rate to something reasonable" she replies, standing a full foot shorter than the older man but not backing down an inch as she asks "So what are you here for? Got something you need delivered?" 

He nods, turning around to look over the crew, his eyes narrowing as they pass Veronica and her husband but then he stops while facing the other side, giving Ronnie a perfect view of the double-headed snake symbol on his back, while the gang leader looks up at the doc who is all but hiding behind his blonde lover.

"Jughead? What... what in the gorram hell are you doing here boy?!?" the older man exclaims after a moment of tense silence.

"Well, I was trying to hide from the Alliance, the Ghoulies, and you... but I suppose that was too much to ask for, Dad..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This didn't quite turn out as well as I'd hoped but wanted to get it out there.
> 
> Next up, the version where Veronica does NOT meet Betty's boyfriend... and the closest to canon update yet...


	6. And One Time She Didn't (Role Reversal)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 14 years ago, on the very same night, two things happened:
> 
> Hal Cooper gave into his darkness after a fight with his wife Alice due to the Register's financial issues, and over the following weeks while fearing that someone would find the body he hid on the Southside of Riverdale, the man sold his family's legacy and moved his wife and young daughters to Virginia to work at a paper in Richmond
> 
> Hiram Lodge got a bit too over confident with some Russians in Queens and was killed, causing his widow to flee back to Riverdale with their infant daughter, buying the Register from her old classmate Hal and moving it to a mostly online publication staffed with interns from Syracuse and NYU
> 
> And then 14 years later, a girl whose father sits in a prison cell arrives at Pop's the summer before her Sophomore Year, hoping for a second chance in the small town her parents grew up in...

After spending the entire three day weekend driving across the country to upstate New York, they finally arrive at their new place on Monday evening, just thirty six hours before the local high school started back up. Betty and their mother helped Polly get inside and asked her if she wanted anything… food or a movie or anything… to help the pregnant teen relax instead of swinging between vacant stares and weeping for her boyfriend who had been dead for a week.

“Um, a shake?” the taller blonde asked, and Alice nodded “Good idea, I’ll call in an order to Pop Tate’s… you girls will love it. Betty, get the essentials out from the wagon and then go pickup the order, I’ll text you the address”

Half an hour later she was parking outside the old fashioned diner, loving the neon-lit ambiance and making her way inside with a racing heart, all but saying out loud that *nobody here knows who you are, or who your father is* as she walked inside, hair up in a ponytail and head held high.

“Order for Cooper” she told the kindly older man at the counter, still thinking that changing to Smith was better but Alice had pointed out that legally that wasn’t true and one slip up would draw attention and require talking about it.

“Did you say Cooper?” a soft feminine voice asked curiously from behind her, causing Betty to turn and see a girl around her age, dressed shockingly nice in a designer dress and pearls, who smiled and said “I’m Veronica Lodge, and if you are Elizabeth then I’m your peer mentor at Riverdale High” as she offered her hand. Betty took it politely to shake, but as she was about to greet her properly she lost the ability to speak or even think properly as her big green eyes saw who was standing behind Veronica, a tall and rather skinny young man, who was wearing a beanie over his dark hair despite the earlier September heat.

Seeing where Betty's eyes had drifted, Veronica glanced over her shoulder and knocked her elbow into her companion's side, prompting a short and rather terse "I'm Jughead", barely giving the blonde time to raise her eyebrows at the odd name and respond "I'm Betty, nice to meet you both" before he nodded and headed towards a booth.

"Then I will see you tomorrow at school Betty Cooper. Also, if you like onion rings, Pop's has the best ones around" Veronica stated with a smile, hurrying off to join her... Jughead.

Collecting the food, the young blonde hurried home and did her best not to think about the boy she had just (barely) met, obviously on a date given his closeness to the raven haired beauty he was with. Even ignoring all her own personal issues that made dating a bad idea, her only previous boyfriend Adam having dumped her even before the full extent of the Cooper family mess had happened, but he was obviously taken by a seemingly nice girl who would be Betty's introduction to her new life at Riverdale High School, and the last thing she wanted to do was make a bad impression at the start of sophomore year.

The next day she arrived at the front office at her new school just before 8 AM, in a simple outfit of blue jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt, perfectly modest without being too stuffy.

Veronica was dressed up just as much as she had been for her date last night, and happily greeted her, showing her around the campus and telling her about the teachers they shared, having six of their eight classes together "And of course there's the social scene to consider... fair warning, all my boyfriend's jock bros are going to be lining up to ask you out by the end of the week. They are cute but some are a bit... rough around the edges" the shorter girl warned her.

"Oh, I'm probably not going out much for a while, just get settled into town first" Betty replied nervously, adding "Maybe we can ask Jughead to tell them" but getting her suggestion cut off by a loud laugh from her would be best friend.

"You thought... me and Jughead?" the raven haired girl asked with a delighted smile, reaching out to hold onto the taller blonde's shoulder as she added "Promise me you will wait till we are all together and he is drinking something to tell him that's what you thought... I'll try and get Kevin to record it", laughing and shaking her head before smirking as she said "Though... we do have some history..."

The slightly relieved and hopeful smile that had been growing on Betty's face vanished instantly, and she nodded, trying to find the words to say she really didn't want to know but Veronica just kept talking.

"It was the end of school year party after 8th grade, up at Thornhill, full on 'we're finally in high school' vibes and Jughead was there pretty much against his will, especially when Cheryl put and empty bottle on the table and we started playing Seven Minutes In Heaven" Veronica explained as they reached the student lounge, sitting together as the story continued "And of course when I had my turn, it landed on my oldest friend in Riverdale, the same sweet boy who had watched cartoons with me while his Dad remodeled my mom's apartment ten years before" 

Betty smiled at the description despite the jealousy and awkwardness the story was accumulating in her gut, and bit her lip as Veronica gave a dreamy sigh and finished her tale. 

"Well, I had to all but drag him into the closet, sit him down on the chest against one wall, and then climb onto his lap... and then we spent seven minutes sharing a deep... passionate... and truly unforgettable... " clearly dragging it out as she finally looked right at Betty to say "discussion of Audrey Hepburn's filmography", bursting into laughter at the confused look that got, but then adding "I did actually kiss him, just once on the cheek, partially in the spirit of the party game, partially because he agreed Breakfast At Tiffany's is a true classic, but mostly, if we're being as honest as we should be, to make my beloved Archiekins finally man up and ask me out"

Veronica's dark eyes had drifted away from Betty to look at the doorway at the end of that as a deeper voice said from behind "And it worked", before a tall and athletic ginger swooped in and pulled his girlfriend up into a hug and kiss that was right on the edge of being inappropriate for 8:30 in the morning at school.

"This must be Betty" he said, sitting down and letting Veronica settle into his lap, "Jughead mentioned you were giving a tour this morning Ronnie", earning a blush from Betty at the idea that Jughead had mentioned her to his friend and a wink from her new friend who embarrassed the blonde even more by explaining "My girl B seems quite pleased to know that I am not in fact in love with our oldest friend" 

Shaking off the teasing from 'V' and the laugh from Archie she instead asked more about the happy couple, still a bit worried that even if Veronica wasn't interested that Jughead might not be hung up on her, or in love with another, but as the day continued and he joined them for lunch it was clear Jughead loved both Veronica and Archie but not in any sort of romantic way, his reaction somewhere between disgusted and simply confused at the idea that they had been on date when Betty met them at Pop's the night before. 

"Actually, he was eating with me to ask if I thought my mother would sponsor a revival of the Blue and Gold, the school newspaper" explained Veronica, getting a nod from Jughead who had swiped the half-empty bag of chips from their other friend Kevin's tray. "Yeah, Ms Lodge owns the Register, and has some pull with Weatherbee", the beanie wearing teen explained, "And apparently I need some decent extracurriculars on my transcript to get into college"

Betty nodded and told him "I was on the paper, and yearbook, at my old school. Mostly just editing and the dullest fluff pieces, but if you're looking to start it up I could join in, if you wanted", earning a proper smile from the slender but cute teen on the other side of the table that made her heart flutter as she looked away from Jughead, only to get a wink from Veronica. 

That night Veronica invited her back to the Pembrooke, going over syllabuses and getting to know each other better... which inevitable led to some girl talk.

"So, you're crushing on our beanie boy, aren't you B?" her new best friend asked with a smile as they waited on pizza to be delivered.

Betty shrugged "I mean, he's cute. And he's a writer. So yeah... I'd... like to get to know him. Is he into anyone?", having noticed one tall redhead (not Cheryl, who had verbally spared with Veronica a few times between second period biology and everyone heading home) eyeing him at school during the day but not seeing him so much as talk with any girls besides V and herself.

"As far as I know our little... escapade... in Cheryl's closest, he's never done anything with anyone. Archie doesn't know of anything either" Ronnie answered, "Though I'll admit, he is just the sort to have a secret girlfriend, possible at Southside High. He lives literally on the line between districts and most of his neighbors go there, but he hangs out with us most of the time so I doubt there's anything too serious"

Betty nodded, suddenly picturing some girl with the same torn jean and flannel aesthetic making out with Jughead and then pushing aside her jealousy. She'd been in town less than a week, known him less than 48 hours, she had no right to claim him.

Her dark haired friend smirked, clearly seeing the hidden jealous, and reached over to grip the blonde's wrist "Honestly, I've never seen a girl turn his head... or a boy for that matter. Honestly, if I were you, I'd be more worried that he's like... ace or aro or something... than him having some secret lover", getting a nod of understanding before continuing "If you really want something to happen I'd just concentrate on becoming his friend. He complains a bit about being the third wheel to me and Archie, so we'll do our best to make sure you complete our little group and see what happens. Just don't expect roses and making out overnight"

With that advice in mind, Betty slowly got to know her beanie wearing crush better over the coming weeks during which their crew fell into a routine of after school activities, meeting up at Pop's, movie nights either at the Drive-In, Ronnie's apartment, or Archie's house... both Hermione and Fred were far more welcoming than Alice was, and she had yet to meet Jughead's father but had determined his mother wasn't around anymore.

Her favorites times by far where Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons in the Blue and Gold, working on the paper mostly alone with Jughead Jones, slowly getting to know everything about him from his favorite snacks to his over use of semicolons... and the fact that outside of Archie, Veronica, Ethel (who contributed to the paper but couldn't make the meetings due to academic quiz team practice) and Kevin nobody else at school seemed to like him. A mix of classism and anti-intellectualism separated most of their peers from Jughead, though seeing V and her boyfriend have his back confirmed to Betty that she had fallen in with the right crowd... and hearing Jughead challenge Chuck Clayton to spell 'objectification' after her and Ethel published a story about the score-keeping the football team was doing made it very hard to stick with the 'just be his friend for now' plan she and Veronica had agreed to. 

But as the leaves changed and fell and the first winter days started creeping up on them Jughead seemed to slowly open up more to Betty, telling her about his sister Jellybean who was gone with his mother, and finding out about Polly in return, though neither mentioned much about their missing parents. He gave her rides on the back of his bike or in a beat up old truck, and the feeling of flying down the empty streets from their high school to Pop's with her arms around him was like nothing else.

By the time Christmas rolled around she felt comfortable enough to give him a present, a couple of used books about his favorite directors she'd gotten off of D-Bay, and in return she got a first edition Toni Morrison novel. She spent the next 48 hours smiling at the thoughtful gift, much to Polly's amusement... right up until her older sister went into labor... and of course when Polly was giving birth with Alice by her side, the first of her friends to come to the hospital waiting room to keep her company was the one with a (now seasonally appropriate) beanie on. And he even ends up being the first person outside of Betty, Polly, and their mother to hold Betty's little niece Emma... Betty only barely manages to avoid referring to him as 'Uncle Jug' while cooing at the baby in his arms. 

When school resumed after the three week winter break, the dynamics Betty had finally gotten used to changed again, as Southside High shut down and half their students ended up at Riverdale, including all the kids from the trailer park that Jughead apparently lived at... no longer on the border between districts. Half of them were in a gang, but more important to Betty was the arrival of a gorgeous girl with pink hair who all but sat on the lap of "Juggie" as she arrived in the student lounge the first day.

Betty shot an alarmed glance at Veronica, the memory of their first conversation about Jughead and the possibility of a 'secret girlfriend' that had since been dismissed as they debated the pros and cons of Betty asking Jughead to attend the Valentine's Dance next month. But before any proper explanation can be given, the other Southsiders call "Toni, get your ass over here" and they wander off together. The next few days show that there's no love lost between Jughead and the others.

"Did you really grow up living near them?" she finally asks him the next week, just the two of them walking to their shared History claass. 

“Same trailer park as at least half of them” he confirms, swapping his books out at his locker as she keeps her eyes on the crowd of young gang members, at least till Jughead adds “It’s sort of a… Remus Lupin situation… “ 

This gets her attention and she turns back to look him in the eyes, eyebrows raised but smiling as she asks playfully “Is this your way of confessing to being a werewolf?” 

His blue eyes roll back as he shuts his locker and explains “No, he was too much of a werewolf for wizards, and too much of a wizard for werewolves… never fit into either group. I’m too much of an uppity Northsider for Sweet Pea and his friends, and too trailer trash to ever be accepted by the likes of Reggie or the Blossoms” 

Betty nods, admitting “That makes sense… “ before smiling up at him as she adds “And I guess that makes V and Archie the Lily and James of your story… “ and is rewarded with a soft laugh.

“Suppose so, though we seem to be missing a couple of Marauders” Jughead replies as they walk through the halls together as they have a hundred times already. 

“That and a love interest with unusual hair” she adds, trying not to sound jealous despite looking right at Toni, the shorter girl stepping into a classroom down the hall with her pink curls trailing behind her.

“It’s not a perfect metaphor” her beanie-wearing friend confirms, before adding “And I prefer bl… natural hair colors… anyway” as he holds the door open and Betty realizes his eyes are on her ponytail… leaving them both blushing as they find their seats. 

That conversation, plus seeing Toni flirt with Cheryl after joining the River Vixens, dispels any worries and jealousy. Toni occasionally contributes to the paper, mostly with pictures, but it remains something shared mostly between Betty and Jughead, the two of them staying safe and warm in the school even after the early winter sunsets... sometimes even watching movies on his laptop, cuddled against each other on the couch. Even without any actual skin touching, layers of flannel and soft sweaters and jeans in between them, it feels more electric than the one time she let Adam's hand explore under her top freshman year.

Even as she slowly gets closer to Jughead, other guys show their interest in Betty. Some are sweet, like Trev Brown who she lets down gently, while others like Jason Blossom and Chuch Clayton are assholes (as proven by the score keeping), and she honestly isn't sure if Sweet Pea is actually interested or just screwing with her... or possibly Jughead as the tallest boy in their grade always seems to only hit on her when Jug is around. But Betty has no interest in dating one boy while having feelings, that are dangerously close to being 'in love' already, with another guy... it's not fair to her or to the boy she goes out with, or even Jughead... who she's 99% sure won't react well to a 'make him jealous' move.

It would be one thing to date some other guy if she got up the nerve to tell him how she felt and got turned down, like in the terrible dreams where he calls her 'boring' or 'perfect' or 'damaged' while gently letting Betty down after a dance or when she jumps him in the Blue & Gold office late at night, the imagined rejection alone enough to make her wake up sweaty and sad. But she holds back, unable to find the right time to make a move even as his eyes seem to linger on her more and more every day. 

Before she realizes it, the school year comes to an end in a flurry of exams, yearbook publishing, and shopping with V, and then their summer plans go into effect... Kevin interns in the city at a gossip magazine, Veronica heads down to Miami to spend time with her abuelita (and in her bikini at the beach of course), while Archie is off to Chicago to spend time with his mother for a seven weeks.

"And then there were two" Jughead says to her, with just a hint of a smile, the first morning in June after everyone else they hang out with has left... Betty staying in town and working at Pop's in the morning while looking after Emma in the afternoons so that Polly can work at a thrift shop downtown, the young mother taking online classes in the mornings. Jughead is working at the drive-in five nights a week (give or take depending on the weather) and picks up the occasional shift washing dishes for Pop. Regardless of what they are doing, Jug and Betty seem to be nearly inseparable... Betty finally getting invited over to the trailer on nights where the drive-in is closed and even falling asleep there once or twice, leading to a long and terribly awkward lecture from Alice about 'the allure of the Jones men' and how not to end up like Polly.

She doesn't quite dare to reply there's no chance of that when Jughead won't even kiss her, much less do all the things her body is aching for him to do when they are alone that might result in a baby, or at least an orgasm. 

But then Jughead invites her to watch the 4th of July fireworks over the Sweetwater River for the 4th of July, parking his Dad's old truck up at the top of a hill with nobody else around, blankets and snacks to share in the bed, and suddenly she knows... this is it... the moment she's been waiting for where everything changes.

As the fireworks go off above them after a few hours of talking with the person she is closest to in the world, she leans in, unable to find the words, but is pleasantly surprised when he leans in just as much, his blue eyes closing as their lips meet and for a solid minute there's nothing in her mind other than the feeling of kissing Jughead Jones after ten months of crushing on him.

When they finally pull apart he confess softly "Been wanting to do that for awhile Betts... ", earning a smack to his shoulder as she replies somewhere between amused and annoyed at him "Same... and literally since I walked into Pop's and got jealous of you and V... so what took so damn long Jones?", her only answer being a laugh and another deeper kiss. 

Three weeks later they are sitting on the same side, and sharing a shake, in a booth at Pop's when Veronica texts her **_Finally back in upstate NY, Archie just picked me up at the airport, you free to meet up?_**

Glancing at the boy she's falling for more and more, she makes sure he is looking at the screen as she types out a reply, taking another look to see his reaction (mostly to the b-word she hasn't actually used yet) and he smirks and nods, kissing her temple as she hits send and turns off her phone before she can see Ronnie's reaction to her message.

_**At Pop's with my boyfriend, can't wait for you to meet him** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finally got around to finishing this... hope you liked the role reversal and bit of slow burn Bughead even if it was reduced to a one shot.
> 
> Probably will be the last thing I write for Bughead, unless there's just a huge outpouring of interest in Faithfully Yours (Link: https://dmux86.tumblr.com/post/632583188302200832/faithfully-yours-master-post ) in the next week or two, as I am trying to pull away from a ship and fandom that I got too invested in during the long slow months of 2020 but don't really enjoy anymore as both canon and more importantly the fandom clearly don't see the ship and characters the same way I do.


End file.
